Tales of the Titans: The Awful Truth, Part 3
by Nitebreaker
Summary: So now Beast Boy knows the true source of his powers. Will it affect his relationships with the others, with Terra and Raven? Plus a dark secret from Terra's past may affect their engagement in a most terminal way. Sequel to "The Truth." The usual pairings: BB/Terra, Rob/Star, etc. OC's. Chapter 1: Monsters Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

The Awful Truth, Part 3: Chapter 1:

"_Within us all there is a monster."_

The Awful Truth, Part 3, Chapter 1: Monsters

Raven had prepared for bed. She'd already completed her nightly meditation ritual, had put on her gown, and gotten under the covers, when her door chimed. Somebody was signaling for entrance.

She was powerfully tempted to just pull the covers up over her head and ignore the chime, but there it came again. And through the door, she could hear a voice. "Raven? Are you in there? It's me, Terra."

What could she be up this late for? It was nearly eleven o'clock, and Raven had had a hard day. She needed her sleep.

But Terra might have some problem that required her attention. She must have, if she was up, seeking her at this time of night. Sighing, she got up and went to the door.

Terra stood there, on the other side, barefoot, wearing her sleep shirt, looking worried. "Yes, Terra? What's wrong?"

The blond girl cast a worried glance down the hallway towards the room she shared with Garfield. "I…need to talk to you. May—may I come in?"

Raven brought her in, and seated her on the couch. Then she busied herself making tea. "I can't be gone long," Terra said, "Gar might wake up and wonder where I've gone. I don't want him to know I came down here."

Raven brought the tea to the small table in front of the couch. "Alright. So what's got you concerned?"

"Well, it's this business of Gar's…father."

"Ah." Raven had recently discovered that she and Beast Boy shared the same father, the demon overlord known to humanity as Trigon the Terrible. For years, Beast Boy had thought that his power of shape-shifting had come from a biological treatment his parents had subjected him to, as a child, in order to save his life from a rare, but fatal disease. But Raven had come into possession of the knowledge that his powers actually stemmed from his heritage as the son of the demon, that they were actually of magical origin, rather than anything related to biology. It had been a hard awakening for him, for it meant that, somehow, his mother had been either seduced or raped by the demon. Raven had assured him that it was probably the former, as demons, especially one as powerful as Trigon, were masters of the art of illusion, and it would have been child's play for him to simply take on the appearance of Garfield's father when the latter was away. One night would have been enough. And, if Gar's mother had noticed anything…unusual…about their lovemaking that night, she probably would have put it down to a hard day at work. Humans, after all, are pretty good at rationalizing odd things away. "So, what, exactly, is your concern?"

"Well…. No offense, but you were born to be a human portal for Trigon to enter this world, right? Is—is something like that gonna happen to Gar?"

Raven put down her tea cup. It was, she guessed, a fair question. Humans, even superpowered ones, without much experience with magic, are prone to mostly unfounded worries regarding such. "I won't lie to you, Terra. There is a slight possibility that something like that may be at work…but I doubt it."

"Why?" Terra sipped at her tea.

"Demons are not above having sexual congress with mortal women simply because they want to, and desire them." She shrugged. "It's highly probable that Trigon was simply amusing himself for a while. Besides, if Garfield were…tainted, in the same way that I was, it probably would have manifested itself by now."

"You're sure?"

Raven nodded, leaning back against the couch. "Pretty sure. Tomorrow, if you like, I'll run a check on him, make sure there's no magical 'time bomb' waiting to go off. But I'm pretty sure there's not."

"Well, good. Thanks, Raven. It—it really had me kinda worried." She though for a moment longer. Then, "Well. I guess I'd better be getting back. He could wake up, and miss me."

Raven felt something twist in her chest. He'd never wake up and miss her. That would just never happen, especially now. Even if Terra left, or, or was gone for whatever reason…that didn't change the fact that he was her half-brother.

_I should not be feeling these feelings. I am ashamed of myself._ Why was Terra staring at her? "Raven? Are you alright?"

"Of—of course I'm alright. Why do you ask?"

"You seem….I dunno. Like something's bothering you."

_Something is._ "Well, you needn't be concerned. I'm fine." _F__ouled up, __I__nsecure, __N__eurotic, and __E__motional. _

Terra put her tea cup back down. "Raven? Can I tell you something, in complete confidence? I mean, it _never_ getting out? To _any_body?"

Raven picked up her own tea cup. The tea had gone cold now. It wasn't good cold. "I suppose so." She drew her legs up under her on the couch, propping her arm against the backrest.

Terra was silent for a moment. Then, "You know I spent the first twelve years of my life in a castle in Markovia, right?"

"Yes."

"A _big_ castle. Just like the ones you see in storybooks. It had been especially restored to look that way. Brion—my half-brother—and I had pretty much free run of the place—but only of the castle, and certain high-security areas of the castle grounds. We weren't allowed to go outside the outer walls, the ones that separated the estate from everywhere else. Our father was afraid his enemies would kidnap Brion and…I don't really know why I wasn't allowed.

"We didn't have much more than broadcast TV—no cable or satellite, and almost no internet access. And we didn't have anybody else to play with; all our schooling was done there at the castle, by private tutors. But we did have a lot of books, old books, about old fairy tales, mostly.

"And so we played. Brion played at being the dashing, handsome prince, in his specially tailored outfit, and wielding a sabre. He learned, at an early age, how to fight with several different kinds of swords, but his favorite was always the cavalry sabre, or a cutlass. He was really pretty good, too." She smiled at the memory. "I remember yelling at him once when he slashed my best blouse, accidently, of course. It wasn't on me at the time, I mean. Brion would never raise a hand against me, no matter what. After all, he was the prince, I was the princess. I guess because of that, and, and maybe other factors, he took it upon himself to kinda look out for me." She smiled into the now empty cup. "Maybe, on some level, he was subconsciously trying to be a father AND a brother. Or, y'know, something like that. And, very possibly, that was why, even though I was more the tomboy type, I tried, on occasion, to fit into my role, as we saw it, of being the princess.

"And, of course, we were just kids being kids. All we knew, really, about the world outside came mostly from our entertainment, the old fairy tales.

"I don't know exactly where it started, but…somewhere, along the way, maybe when I was eight, or maybe nine, or maybe a little later, I don't know…we started playing these, I guess you'd call 'em role playing games. He was always the prince, the dashing, handsome prince, and I was the beautiful princess, always very prim and proper, always wearing the best, most expensive gowns and dresses. And, of course, always needing to be rescued. From something or other." She laughed at the memory. "I always hated that. I mean, why couldn't _I_ do some of the rescuing, at least once in a while, huh? But that wasn't the way it went in the old stories, of course, so we had to go by the only rules of the game we had.

"And, well," and here she paused for a moment, as though unsure how to continue. "Somewhere along the way—maybe we can be kinda forgiven for this, seeing as how we were both below the age of ten, and you know, at least I guess you do, how kids can fantasize—that somehow we got the idea that our play roles were someday gonna be real. That Brion really would grow up to be the dashing handsome prince, and I," a sigh, "would, of course, become the beautiful princess slash damsel in distress who always needed rescuing.

"I wasn't too thrilled about that part. But I just figured it was the way things were gonna be, and I'd better get used to it. I remember," she chuckled, a faraway look in her eyes, "pinning up my hair when I went outside in the castle gardens, so that when the dragon swooped down to carry me off, it wouldn't catch on anything and tear. I laugh about it now," she said, "but back then, Raven, I _really believed it._

"And we'd grow up, and get married. I mean, why not? Wasn't that the way it always was, in the old stories, the old books? The handsome prince or knight in shining armor always rescued the beautiful damsel in distress, who turns out to be some long-lost princess, or something like that, and marries her? And lives happily ever after? Well, I was the only princess around. We even had—and I hope this doesn't sound too bad-pretend marriages, in which we'd marry each other. Our father couldn't have cared less, if he even knew about it at all, which I doubt, so long as we didn't interfere with him running the country. And those he set to look out for us, the nannies, tutors, and housekeepers…thought it was cute.

"Now, keep in mind, this was all just a game we were playing. It was like chess: one person has to be one side, and the other person has to be the other. No other way to play it. And, really, what other game would we be naturally drawn to? And I couldn't very well be the prince…mostly 'cause neither one of us wanted to see him in a dress.

"And so, in our games, our playing, he'd go out and slay dragons, and fight evil wizards…and, of course, always be victorious—rescuing me in the process—and then…then we'd come home.

"Neither of us was really too sure about what to do next, about how to go about the 'living happily ever after' part, not really, after all, the books never said. I had a hunch it involved more than just, you know, a kiss or something. I mean, I was, what, eight, nine?-for pete's sake. But whatever it was, no matter what it was, well, the truth is, I don't think either one of us really thought about it too much. So what happened next came as a complete and total surprise to us both.

"But here's what happened: around the time when he was about twelve or so, maybe a little more, and I was a year younger, for some reason, our father started letting him out more, to a few different places. Kinda showing him off. After all, he _was _the crown prince. And…he got a girlfriend. A local girl. I don't remember much about her.

"Would you believe I got _jealous?_ I mean, isn't that a _scream?_ Here I was, actually _jealous_ of my half-brother for having a girlfriend, actually _angry_ at him because he did.

"I remember giving him the 'silent treatment.' I remember staying in my room, not coming out at all, even for dinner, because I didn't want to see _him._ This was _very_ _much_ not like the old stories.

"You know what happened?" Terra turned to Raven.

Raven tilted her head. "Nothing?" she ventured.

"He dropped her. Because of me. His half-sister. He dropped her. Like a hot potato. I mean, nothing changed in _our_ relationship—we didn't become closer or further apart, but…he still dropped her.

"Now, I know what child psychologists would probably say. After all, he was around me more, and, maybe some kids at that age, especially those in our situation, don't diffentiate too well between fraternal relationships and any other kind, but, the fact remains….he still dropped her." And Terra fell silent, looking down at her tea cup.

"Terra," began Raven, softly, "Why are you telling me this?"

Terra was silent for a long, long time. Then, "I don't know. No reason, I guess. Maybe it was just something I had to get off my chest."

…

Cinderblock roared and swung at Starfire, nearly catching her in a roundhouse. The alien girl darted out of his way; Kitten fired her freeze way, catching the arm, encasing it in ice.

But Cinderblock was tougher than that. He smashed the ice coating off of him, and charged forward, to be met by a determined Robin. Robin's _bo_ staff scissored his feet out from under him, and Cinderblock had to move quickly to escape being stasis-cuffed, but move quickly he did, throwing Robin off. As nimble as a cat, Robin rolled and regained his footing. Not for the first time he regretted that both Omega and Athena had been called away on a mission; they could have used the muscle.

Raven levitated three streetlamps and encircled the monster, while Cyborg readied his sonic cannon. But she was too close; the concussive effect of the cannon reflected off the wall of the building behind Cinderblock, striking Raven with almost undiminished force. She was hurled backwards, crashing into the glass façade of the building behind her, her magical shield the only thing saving her from potentially serious cuts and lacerations.

Cinderblock roared again and charged, partly dodging and partly climbing over Terra's hastily erected earthen barrier, and, hefting a piece of a nearby car, prepared to throw it at the downed sorceress….

…And a green African Cape Buffalo charged out of nowhere and crashed into him, knocking him off balance.

Cinderblock swung again, and slammed the buffalo into a nearby dumpster—but only temporarily. Not even a second had passed but Beast Boy, now thoroughly enraged and still in the form of a buffalo, exploded from the dumpster, and again collided headfirst into Cinderblock…and the other Titans, even Raven stared, open-mouthed, in shock.

Because the front half of the buffalo had turned a bright crimson color, and four eyes had opened up on its head.

Again and again the buffalo charged, each time forcing Cinderblock back, a little at a time…

…and getting _larger_, as the crimson color spread to its entire body.

Cinderblock tried to get up, but the monster buffalo was now easily three times the size of a tank, and less easy to stop. _Slam!_ Cinderblock went sprawling again and again.

It became obvious to all onlookers that by now Cinderblock was in no shape to regain his feet; he put out a hand in an almost pitiful gesture to stop the oncoming behemoth, now larger than a dinosaur… and which showed no signs of stopping.

Raven darted in front, between the two monsters. "Beast Boy! Garfield! _Stop!_" She faced the gigantic creature, arms upraised….

The leviathan ground to a halt; the massive head, larger than Raven herself, lowered to look at her, the four red eyes gazing into hers. It might have been Raven's imagination, but it almost seemed like she could see _flames_ jetting from the titan buffalo's nose with each snort. A low rumble shook the pavement and rattled plate glass windows for a block around…and died, as something within him recognized her.

For a brief moment the two beings gazed at each other across the space of three feet and eternity. Then the buffalo began to shrink, its limbs contorting, contracting back into Beast Boy's former shape, as the green teen's normal form reasserted itself. The red coloration was the last to go, twisting into stripes that moved upward and over him like a barber pole, twisting upwards and off him, leaving him sitting there on the pavement, a stunned look on his face.

"Okay," he asked, in a shaken voice, "what just happened?"

…..

"I did all that?" Garfield's voice was no less shaken, after he viewed the video Cyborg had taken with his built-in camera. "That's me?"

"That's the most you-est you I _ever_ saw. Man, that was _awesome__!_" exulted Cyborg, as delighted as kid at Christmas. "You put the beat-down of all beat-downs on Cinderblock! Our own Beast Boy!"

"Evidently, when you get angry, something within you…snaps, and releases your full morphing abilities," explained Raven. "I've never really seen this effect before, but I have heard of, well, similar things."

"Yeah, but…I've gotten angry before, and, and this…didn't happen. What…oh. Right." He looked a little embarrassed.

"Right," Robin finished, for him, "Raven was in danger." He looked at both Beast Boy and Raven. "Maybe…this is a good time for a full report?"

Gar and Terra looked at each other, as did Raven and Hank. _They_ knew. "Well, Rob, it's like, like this…" Beast Boy floundered.

"Let me," said Raven. "Robin, as you've no doubt deduced, there is a connection between my father and Garfield. And…it's essentially the same one as mine. We both had the same father." All heads swiveled to look at Beast Boy, whose hand had crept into Terra's. She squeezed his fingers, tightly.

"Beast Boy? Your father was…?"

"I didn't know, Rob! I only found out recently. And, I guess I couldn't come up with a way to tell the rest of you. I mean, it's not exactly the sort of thing you let drop at the dinner table. 'Hey, guys, guess what?'"

"So," spoke up Cyborg, "we gonna have to start calling you 'Demon Boy' now?"

"Oh, _please_…"

"But this is still _so cool!_ I mean, it's like having our own Incredible Hulk! And, and…" Cyborg ran out of words; he was lost in his own daydreams.

But Robin…Robin was looking at Beast Boy…with a look of intense speculation. And apprehension.

…..

"I tell you, Terra, I don't really _know_ what happened! I, I just saw that creep about to throw a freakin' _car_ at Raven, and well…I changed. At least I guess I did. I don't even remember doing it." The two were in their room.

"Well, I mean, it's a good thing you did. She might've been hurt, otherwise. I'm just asking 'cause it seems like there ought to be a way to control your changing like that. I mean, you never have before, even when Raven was in danger, you didn't do…_this._ Yeah, you became the Beast, I understand that. But this was…something more."

"I know." He ran his hand through his hair. "I, I'm just not sure what."

….

Robin's room. "You are upset, beloved." Starfire had followed him down after the impromptu meeting upstairs. Robin was not exactly pacing, but he was clearly agitated.

"Yes, Star, I am. Or perhaps _troubled_ would be a better word." He stopped and bit his lip. "Gar lost control today, Star. If Raven hadn't been there, Cinder_block_ would now be Cinder_smear._ But will Raven always be there to stop him? I doubt it."

"So what will you do?"

"I wish I knew."

Starfire walked up to him, removing her garments with practiced ease. "There is one thing you can do, beloved mine." She was now completely nude. She turned his face up to hers and kissed him. "I do not say it will solve all your problems, but it will certainly solve one of mine. You _do_ wish to help me, yes?"

As usual, the word "no" just wouldn't come out.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2: Defenses

The Awful Truth, Part 3: chapter 2: Defenses

Weeks passed. The Titans patrolled their assigned sectors, Terra and Beast Boy teaming up (though Robin was toying with the notion of pairing each of them with other people, in light of their upcoming marriage; it wouldn't do to spring a whole new sector on anyone completely unfamiliar with it), Raven and Hank, Cyborg and (for now) Kitten, with Angelique rotating between the various pairings. It would give her good experience. Occasionally, they were joined by Missy, who'd taken to calling herself Ghost, and who could apparently shift between the solid and energy states of matter at will, as well as being able to channel any available energy to a considerable degree. He and Starfire rounded out the itinerary, although he knew some changes would need to be made once the two Osirans rejoined them. And, privately, he was trying to think of a way to include Blackfire in their lineup, in such a way as not to set Starfire off. Unfortunately, that was far easier thought than done, since every time Starfire was reminded of her formerly-errant sister even being on the same planet as she was, all in the immediate vicinity were treated to another of Starfire's sometimes literally explosive outbursts of temper.

The jewelry store robbery came in Terra's and Beast Boy's sector. It wasn't difficult to find; people running away from a smashed in window tend to attract the attention of resident heroes. Terra dove in on her boulder, while Beast Boy took lead as a green hawk.

The pair had barely showed themselves when the masked gunmen noticed them, and immediately turned their guns towards them. With anybody else, this might've been an effective strategy.

Terra had long since learned a lot about automatic weapons, both from Slade and from experience. A cloud of swirling dirt and dust engulfed and choked the perps, even as solid plugs of earth did the same to their machine guns' barrels. One of the men tried to make a run for it.

When a goat rams one from behind, it's annoying. When that selfsame goat (even if it is green) rams you from in front, and you chance to be male, it's….more than annoying. The runner went down, clutching his privates.

"Got this one down," Terra congratulated herself and her fiancé, calling Robin to let him know. Barely, out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the perps lunge at her with a large knife…

…and something green and snakelike wrapped around the man's neck. The robber spasmed, dropped the knife, and followed it down to the ground a moment later. Garfield changed back from the electric eel he'd become. "You okay, honey?"

"Y-yeah, Gar, I'm fine. Good looking out." Once again, she activated her communicator, to let Robin know where the prisoners would be.

Beast Boy was watching the now-handcuffed crooks, as though just daring them to try something like that again. He didn't see the curious expression that stole over Terra's face…as she watched _him_.

…..

Later that night, Garfield and Terra were preparing for bed. "Gar? Gotta question."

"Sure, honey. What's on your mind?" They'd both showered and were in bed, trying to decide what movie to put on.

"Well, that guy today, with the knife. How…how did that make you feel?"

"Feel? Me? Angry, of course. Nobody threatens you, sweetheart. Not while I'm around." He looked at her, sitting beside him in the bed. "Is something wrong?"

She smiled sunnily at him. "No, of course not. I just…I just noticed, you didn't go all four-eyed on the guy."

"Yeah, and it's a good thing, too. Maybe I'm learning some control over that. I hope so, anyway. I mean, you know what it's like, to have a power or powers you can't control. When that happens to me…I black out." He frowned. "I really don't like doing that."

"Yeah," she laughed, "Well, it's just as well you didn't go all demon-y on his butt. I mean, Raven wasn't there to, to bring you back."

He kissed her as they slid under the sheets. "_You_ were there. Remember? You brought me back before, that first time you noticed."

"Yeah, that's right, I did, didn't I? Course, we couldn't very well have done _that _there in public, not without getting arrested ourselves. Well, I guess I'm just being silly. A silly girl, that's me." And she wrapped her arms around him as they prepared to watch the movie.

He kissed her again. "You're. Never. Silly. Never. Not to me. Ever."

…..

Raven had been keeping to herself a lot lately. It had nothing to do with her personal life or lack thereof; not long ago, the Entity had given her some alarming news, and she was trying to sort it all out.

Evidently, although the Entity hadn't been too specific (Raven wondered, wryly, if all such super-beings read from the same rule book: "Must always be mysterious, imparting the least amount of information, and mostly in the form of vaguely implied innuendoes," or something like that), it seemed that all life on Earth was in grave danger. She hadn't been able to pin it down as to whether or not it was from some natural source, such as a black hole or neutron star, or something even stranger. The Entity had only said that it was something about current trends of life on Earth—and the ending of all that life _because_ of that. That didn't make any sense to her.

Of course, Raven remembered some of her physics, particularly Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle: sometimes merely observing an event can alter it. Perhaps the Entity was imparting all the information it could, without _contaminating_ the timeline, and maybe bringing about the very fate, or a worse one, that it sought to prevent.

She found herself preferring to believe that.

But still…there were just too many unknowns. Too many possibilities. And she wasn't even sure of the right questions to ask. As it was, she didn't even have enough to put into a report for Robin, who, true to his upbringing as a detective, required constant updates. And she just didn't have any.

Upstairs, Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing "Ninja Monkey Racing," for about the ten thousandth time. Terra was toasting bread for a tomato sandwich and watching the progress of the game. She'd already mentally vowed to challenge the winner.

Robin and Raven entered. "*-not doubting that you're doing your best, Raven, that's not the point, it's just…"

"My best hasn't been good enough?" Raven crossed her arms and tilted her head at him, giving him an "I dare you to say it" look.

"I wouldn't have put it that way, and that's not really what I mean. I just need more information. Not just about this shadowy menace looming in the background, but about these godlike beings in the first place. I mean, you have been in communication with this Entity, as you call him, for some time now, but we still don't know that much about him. Or it. Or…whatever. I could understand about not having much information about Typhon; I'll have to make a note to ask Missy a few questions, if I can ever get her to stay in one place long enough, but about the Entity…"

"Robin. I'm not exactly in a position of authority over the creature. True, I can ask questions, but it may choose not to answer. Or it may answer in such a vague way as to be completely unhelpful; I'm encountering that a lot lately. I really don't have any leverage."

"But you're the only one of us he will even talk to. That _is _leverage, of a sort. And that puts the burden of all this squarely on your shoulders, like it or not. And, not to put too fine a point to it, but right now, we're really no better off than we were before. I guess I'm beginning to wonder if you're really trying as hard as you can. You're not afraid of him, are you?" He opened the fridge, got out a carton of milk.

"I-*"

"Robin." Beast Boy spoke up quietly from the curved couch where he and Cyborg were playing their game. He spoke while playing the game, holding the wireless controller, his attention riveted on the screen. "She's doing the best she can. Don't push it. It won't accomplish anything."

"That's just it_,_ Gar, _nothing's being accomplished._ We've got no more information now than we ever did, except that now we know these beings exist. That, by itself, isn't much help."

"Robin, believe me when I say I'm doing the best I can."

"But still, Raven, nothing's getting done! Maybe you need to take a different app-*"

"Dude." Beast Boy's voice was no louder than before, but there was an _intensity_ to it that made Robin look around. Terra and Cyborg looked up, too. Gar had paused the game, something he hardly _ever_ did. "She already said she's doing the best she can. Lay off."

"Gar, I don't need you to defend me-*"

"This doesn't concern you, Beast Boy." He turned back to Raven…

But now Beast Boy was up on his knees on the couch, facing the dueling duo. "I _said,_ _lay __off __her._" And while he wasn't shouting, not exactly, his voice was certainly nowhere near quiet, either. Something made Robin turn…

There were four eyes visible in Beast Boy's contorted face. The rest of the Titans, including Raven, backed up, just a little.

Robin held up a hand in a conciliatory gesture. "Okay, Beast Boy, calm down. Maybe I _was_ pushing, just a little." He turned to Raven. "I'm...sorry, Raven, if I came across a little strong, there."

"It's…alright, Robin. And perhaps you're right; maybe I _should_ adopt a different approach. It might be more productive. It certainly can't be less."

"H-hey, BB, you, uh, wanna finish the game?" Cyborg was holding out Gar's Gamestation controller, a nervous smile playing over his face.

Gar slid back into his seat. He looked at the controller, then back at the paused game on the screen, his double set of eyes having faded back to his normal pair. For a long moment, he hesitated. Then he threw the controller down on the couch, scowling. "Stupid game, anyway." He got up and stalked off. "I'm gonna get some air."

Terra watched him go, and as she did so, a single tear coursed down the side of her face. She hoped nobody noticed.

…

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3: Worries

The Awful Truth, Part 3: Chapter 3: Worries

_I don't own the Teen Titans. _

_Please read and review!_

More weeks passed. The Titans continued their normal rounds, apprehending criminals, averting the occasional natural disaster. Omega and Athena returned from their respective missions, and Robin immediately paired Kitten up with Omega, and Athena with Cyborg. He was still working on some way to pair up the soon-to-be newlyweds with other partners, so as to give others a chance to get accustomed to the sectors normally patrolled by Beast Boy and Terra. He kept on trying to think of a way to include Blackfire in the group without setting Starfire off. So far, he hadn't come up with one that was workable. Raven swore the Tameranean had changed. Nobody knew why or how, but Raven, the empath, stated she could tell these things. None of that mattered anything at all to Starfire, of course.

Starfire's problem wasn't Blackfire; it was Starfire.

Back at the Tower: it had been a hard day, and Beast Boy and Terra were preparing for bed. He was in the act of pulling off his boots; she had already gotten out a clean sleep shirt, which she'd put on after their shower. The days when they changed clothes in separate rooms were past. "Gar? Could we talk a minute?" She came over and sat by him on the bed.

He glanced at her. Since when could they _not_ talk? Then—"Oh. You wanna talk about…that."

"Yeah, that." She hesitated. Then, "It happened again, today."

He looked at her. "I didn't black out."

"No-o. But, do you remember breakfast? Raven offered to help? And she totally burned the scrambled eggs?"

"Yeah." He smiled ruefully. "Poor Raven. I mean, she's never had to cook before, and doesn't have a ton of money to go to any kind of cooking schools or take any classes. But what does all that have to do with-?"

"You remember, Cyborg started to laugh? But stopped when Raven gave him that look?"

"Yeah, well, I'd stop, too. I've seen Raven when she's angry—so have you—and I definitely wouldn't want to cross her…." He stood up and started to unzip his uniform.

"Gar, she wasn't warning him about herself. She," and here she drew a deep breath, "She was warning him about you."

He wriggled out of his uniform, and sat back down by her. "About me? But, but I didn't…"

"You went all four-eyed on us, Gar. Again. That's….not the first time that's happened. Lately." She looked down at her hands, nestled in her lap, her blond hair falling around her head, obscuring her features.

"Lately? But I haven't been….have I really been doing that a lot, lately?" He couldn't keep the apprehension out of his voice.

"Not a lot. Just every now and then."

"How…how often?"

"Maybe once a week. Not every week. But…you seem to've gotten, like, hyperdefensive of Raven."

He turned to her. "Terra. You're not…jealous, are you? 'Cause this is really nothing to be jealous _of._ I mean, me losing control…"

"Oh, of course I'm not jealous!" She turned to him and hugged him as best she could, the two of them sitting there, side by side, on their bed. "I'm just….a little concerned, that's all. Okay, a lot concerned. And, and something else. It's a small thing, but I've noticed you haven't played any pranks on her for, for weeks now. I mean, previously, it was like once or twice a month, but now…it's no times a month."

He held her there, feeling the beating of her heart against his chest, her body beneath her shirt. It was an intoxicating feeling. "I think I just outgrew that, Terra. I mean, come on. Here, I'll be twenty soon. It's just….it seems childish, somehow. I haven't played any pranks on anybody, have I?"

"That's true, you haven't. Well, maybe it's just me."

"No, no. If I've been 'hulking out,' or nearly so, that often, then I gotta learn some way of mastering that, that's all there is to it."

She drew back and looked him in the eye. "Maybe…maybe some kind of biofeedback technique? I know Slade used some of that, taught me using some of that. Maybe you could use something similar?"

"That's an idea." They'd drawn apart, and he was sitting on the side of the bed, leaning forward, rubbing his hands over his face. "Maybe…maybe I'll get with Raven an' see…" He didn't see her eye twitch. "Or, no, on second thought, maybe not. Machines don't like Raven. They start making funny noises or go boom when she's around. So my best bet would be Cyborg. Raven would have to help, of course. Show me what mental and emotional states I should strive for and those I should avoid. She uses meditation to control her powers; maybe something similar, just more advanced than what I already use, could help me." He turned to her. "Terra…you're not _afraid_ of me, are you? 'Cause I'd never, ever hurt you. Surely you know that."

She put her arm around him, drew them closer together. "Afraid _of_ you? No. Afraid _for_ you? Maybe a little. It's like you said, I know what it's like to have a power you can't always control. I just….hope you, you can find a way to control it. That's all." She stood up and began removing her clothes. "Well, shower time." He immediately followed her lead in getting undressed. At one time, that would've embarrassed him no end, but now…

"You know…" She began, taking him by the hands, standing in front of him, both of them completely and unashamedly naked, "We _can_ do more in the shower than just wash off." Her smile seemed a little nervous to him…but it was probably just his imagination.

He turned her face up to his and kissed her. "Well, if you're looking to get an argument from me, you won't. But fair warning: I intend to pleasure you as much or more than you pleasure me. I mean, that's what it means to be partners, right?"

She smiled. It was remarkable, he thought, how just her smile seemed to _illuminate _the room, like a thousand watt lamp fixture. "Sounds like a good plan to me." And she led him, both of them naked, into the bathroom's large shower stall. _En route_, he looked her up and down. Especially down. _I've gotta be the luckiest guy on Earth._

But later on that night, with a sleeping Terra in his arms, he lay awake, wondering. Why was this happening _now?_

….

"Okay, biofeedback." Cyborg was busy hooking together some modular components from a vast array of supplies he kept. The two were in his personal lab. "Let's see: heartbeat, respiration, pulse, skin temperature and conductivity, maybe even brain wave activity. 'Course, we really don't know what we're looking _for,_ but I'm going on the assumption that it somehow involves you losing your temper, but big time. And that's something we can't—well, perhaps it's better put, _dare not_—recreate in the laboratory. At least, not any laboratory we wanna keep in one piece. So. Pull down the top part of your uniform, an' I'll attach these electrodes…yeah. You'll be hooked up to remote telemetry. Don't know if they'll stick on you when you change, however."

"My _clothes_ stay on me."

"Actually, they don't. If they did, you'd have torn up uniforms all over town. What happens to your clothes when you morph is kinda up for grabs…though if this 'demon' thing is true, and I see no reason to think otherwise, maybe their…disappearance has more to do with magic than any scientific principle. That really does explain a lot. But there's no guarantee _these_ will stick on you."

"They did on Bruce Banner," Gar quipped.

"Actually, they didn't. Remember, he was always losing his watch? And shoes. And shirt. In fact, I'm fairly sure the only reason he kept his pants was due more to the movie ratings board than any real-life principle. Can't very well fight the Forces of Evil and Injustice in the buff; sets a bad example for the younger generation. But these…incidences…when you've gone four-eyed on us, but haven't actually transformed—that, maybe we can work with. But first we gotta get a database on your emotions, and how they affect your morphing abilities." He busied himself, programming his diagnostic computer.

"Cy?" Cyborg turned to his friend. "Why…why do _you_ think this is happening more now than ever before? I mean, it never happened before….except for that 'beast' incident."

"Honestly, BB? I got no clue. It may just be the natural—if you want to call it that—evolution of your powers, as they mature. Of course….nah, I don't think that."

"What, Cy? Don't keep me hanging!"

"Well, something I've noticed. Now mind you: _correlation_ doesn't equal _causation_, but…."

"'But'?"

"Have you noticed, you only seem to transform like that when Raven's physically present? Maybe there's some kind of proximity thing goin' on there. Maybe it doesn't really have all that much to do with just you and your emotions. Maybe it's some kinda magical interaction. Maybe she has to be within a certain radius of you for it to happen." He held up a stainless steel finger. "Not saying that's what it is, mind you. Just something I've noticed."

Garfield was silent for a long time. Then, "I think Terra's jealous."

Cyborg stopped what he was doing and pulled up a stool to sit on. He looked at his friend soberly, all traces of humor absent from his voice. "Does she have _reason_ to be?"

"No! I mean, yeah, now I know Rae's my half-sister an' all, but, but I've always thought of her as a sister, anyway. Nothing's changed about that!"

"So you've never thought Raven was…pretty?"

Gar shook his head. "Only in the sense you think you're sister's pretty. I mean, I, I never had, y'know, like, _fantasies_ about her or anything."

"So you never….?"

"No. I can say that absolutely."

Cyborg sighed. "Well, it may just be the natural territoriality lover-type females feel towards anybody else, any other similarly-aged female, that you're close to. Or you may be totally misreading her emotion. You know? I mean, that's possible."

Garfield was silent for a moment. Then, "No, Vic. I'm not."

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4: Insecurities

The Awful Truth, Part 3: Chapter 4: Insecurities

_I don't own the Teen Titans. Wish I did. Well, you know, not the actual people themselves, but the copyrights…oh, screw it._

"So. How goes the biofeedback thing?" Terra asked. The two were lying in bed together, reading, and preparing to watch their nightly movie.

"Good so far. I haven't 'demonized' now for a while, though. Cyborg keeps telling me he needs more data, for that database he's compiling. I don't know how to give him more, however." It seemed to Gar that their relationship had been a bit….strained, lately, though he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Well," she began, as casually as she could, "that seems like a simple enough thing. Just get Raven in a position where she's upset. That should give him all the data he needs." There was an undercurrent of tension in her voice.

He turned and took her in his arms. "Terra. Please don't be this way."

"What way?"

"You know what way. Jealous way. C'mon, do you really…you know…feel that way? 'Cos believe me, I didn't ask for this. I don't even _want_ it."

"I'm not jealous." He said nothing, but his expression and body stance spoke for him. "Okay. I….maybe I am. A little." His expression said, _go on._

The words came out in blur. "It's just that I've noticed, you never seem to change like that, no matter what's going on. But if somebody so much as looks cross-eyed at Raven, you go all demon-eyed on them." Then the tears came, and her voice broke. "For her. But only for her. Never for….anyone else."

"Terra…please don't ever doubt my love for you. You know I'd do anything for you. It's just….this doesn't seem to be something I can, like, control. It, it just happens."

"I know, Gar. And I believe you." _Too much do I believe you._

…..

More weeks passed. Robin paired Terra up with Athena, and Beast Boy up with Kitten, pairing Omega up with Cyborg. The Osirans learned fast, especially seeing as they both came from a world where lawbreakers were almost always punished by death, and this would give them valuable experience in their chosen occupation.

During one such patrol, Terra and Athena stopped for lunch at a local Taco Bell, coincidently the same one Omega had come to, in order to get the tacos for Kitten, immediately after her transformation, and where he'd met Angelique. Athena, in spite of her still-mysterious familiarity with the English language, had never heard of a _burrito_ and had no idea what one was. Terra had to reassure her that it was not made from a former beast of burden. The Osiran finally settled on tacos, curious as to what Omega had brought Kitten shortly after her transformation. Whatever it was, it simply made sense that it had to be good. Terra had to show her how to eat one, though, as her first attempts resulted in more taco on the outside than on the inside. Fortunately, Osiran uniforms were stain-proof and self-cleaning.

Terra was quiet. Athena took note of this; the Earth girl seemed quieter than was her usual norm. "You seem troubled."

"It's….personal, Athena. I'm sorry."

"Ah. Very well." Silence.

Then, "Athena, have you ever been in love? I mean, like, _really_ in love?"

Athena took another drag on her root beer, slurping up the last of it from the cup. "No, I can honestly say I have never been in what you call 'love.' As I am sure Omega has told you, such things—even the concepts of them—were…strongly discouraged, to put it mildly, in the Empire. I suppose the closest I've ever come is, I've been…in _like._ At least, I think so. Please forgive me if I still seem ignorant of human customs…"

"No, no, I understand, Athena. It's just…oh, I don't know myself some time what I'm feeling."

Athena laced her fingers together, and, putting her elbows on the table (or rather, on an invisible impulsion field just over the table), rested her head upon them. "You love him, do you not?"

Terra didn't even register surprise, or ask who she was talking about. She knew. She just nodded. "Yes. More than I've ever loved anyone, more than I ever believed I _could_ love anyone. It's just…" Her voice trailed off.

"Terra, I know this matter is extremely sensitive to you, and I'm not trying to pry into your personal matters. But it sounds, to me, as though you are confused about something. Confused or unsure."

Terra nodded. "Yeah. That's pretty much it. Athena—oh, and please, don't breathe a word of this anywhere, okay?"

"Of course. I understand the concept of privacy and private conversations now much better than I did when I first came here. I will not say anything."

"It's just….I wonder if, you know, married or soon-to-be-married couples ever…doubt that the other person really loves them. I, I guess…I wonder if Gar really loves _me_. I mean…" She struggled to find the exact right words, then gave up. "I guess what I'm saying is, it seems like he, he…regards…Raven more than he does me."

"You are referring to his transformations?"

"Yeah. I mean, he gets all bent outta shape when he feels Raven is in danger, but…"

"But not when you are in danger?"

Terra sighed. "I know I'm being stupid. It's just…I dunno. I don't know what to make of it."

Athena thought long and hard on this matter. After all, she could tell it was an extremely important and sensitive subject for the Earth girl. "Terra…can I tell you what I have experienced, what I have learned about emotions in general, since I came here?"

"I guess."

"You are doubtful. I understand that. Perhaps you wonder what experience or knowledge I could possibly have, coming from a world with no emotions?"

"Uh, well…" She hadn't wanted to put it quite so baldly.

"I am not offended, Terra. But you are mistaken to believe we had no emotions. We did. The Lords controlled us by manipulating our emotions, it's true, but had we not had them, there would have been nothing to manipulate... and in our 'off' hours, I suppose you'd say, we…experienced them." Here she frowned, as though at a sudden, perhaps unpleasant memory she'd just now recalled. "But we didn't always know what to make of them. For example…I…felt a strong feeling towards the one now known as Omega, back in the Empire. I now know it to be friendship, but the concept was elusive to us then, unidentified and unnamed. In a way, that made it…somewhat frightening. Tantalizing, but frightening.

"But we had the emotions; they were just suppressed, and knowledge of them carefully guarded. And so, we really didn't know what to do with them.

"But they were there. I know, for example," here she smiled slightly, "that Omega 'arranged' a good many of the projects we worked on, simply to be in my company. I am sure he thought he was being so very subtle. But I knew. And I…was, I suppose…a bit…I am not sure what the term would be—flattered, maybe? Yes, flattered. No one had ever really paid that kind of attention, that kind of _personal _attention, to me, and only to me, before. I don't know if that would be what you call a 'big deal' or not, given that emotions and emotional behavior are so much more commonplace here, but, where we were, it was…I considered it…very… special. I like to think I returned that affection, at least, as best I could, under the circumstances.

"Then came the uprising. We were told horror stories, I suppose you'd call them, about this renegade warrior, and all the misery and devastation he'd caused. And of course, the reconditioning…but you know about that. And…what followed.

"I came to believe, because of the way I felt, the way that I was _made_ to feel_,_ that he was a traitor to our Empire, to our people, to our way of life, and that he had to die. All that, that friendship feeling that I had felt before, gone, in a flash of the reconditioner. And my actions, as you saw, followed from that.

"I guess the point of this story is, my actions were fueled by my emotions. And my emotions, even backed by a certain amount of evidence—whether or not it was false evidence is really irrelevant-…were wrong.

"So. What I am hearing you say is, you believe Garfield Logan loves Raven more than he loves you. Am I incorrect?"

Silence.

"But Terra, think: Garfield has _chosen you_. That is a deliberate _choice_ on his part. What happens when he transforms…he is not in control of that. He has not _chosen_ that. He has not _chosen_ Raven over you, now has he?"

"No…" But she sounded unsure.

Athena leaned forward, careful, as always, only to use the lightest possible pressure, and took the other girl's hand. "Terra. Do not make the same mistake I made. Perhaps it was not of my doing, but the emotions instilled in me, the enmity I felt towards Omega, caused me to see him in a way he never really was. But that was only my _perception_, seen through a lens of raw feeling, of emotion, and not reality. I did not go with what I _knew_. I went with what I _felt._ And my feelings…led me to a place I would never have chosen to go, in my rational mind. Perhaps you will consider me what you call cold-blooded for saying this, but I do not see the logic in throwing away what you _know_ to be true in favor of what you _feel_ to be true.

"Please. Do not let your emotions cloud your rational judgment. I know the heartsache that can come from that."

"Heart_s_ache? You mean, _heartache_?"

"Yes." Athena let go of Terra's hand. She looked off down the street, her expression impossible to read. "Heartache. I believe that is the correct term. The, the feeling that you feel, in the middle of your chest, when you know you've lost someone you…care about. Forever."

"Lost someone? Athena….are you talking about-*" But right then, her communicator beeped.

Robin's voice sounded over the comm. link:_"Terra, Athena! Get to the construction site pronto! It's that morphing monster again, and Beast Boy's down!"_

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5: Temper

The Awful Truth, Part 3: chapter 5: Temper

_The idea for the morphing monster occurred to me a few years ago, when I was watching a rerun of the series finale "Things Change," although why, I'll never know, since if there was ever a TV episode I loathe, it was that one. Still, it aroused my curiosity. What, really, could it be? It didn't look like it might be a man (or woman) in a suit, so that left only three possibilities: genetic mutation (whether man-made or otherwise), magical creature, or...  
><em>

_I used the overall idea in another story somewhere else, but resurrected it for this one, mostly because it fits so well._

_I may have since seen something similar in another story, but if so, I can't, for the life of me, remember whose, and I've been unable to find it since. So whether or not I'm the first to publish it, I can't say__. But if I'm not, and if I've inadvertently stepped on anyone's toes, I sincerely apologize; it was unintentional._

_Of course, it goes without saying that I don't own the Teen Titans. Nor do I own the morphing monster. I wouldn't want to. What would I keep it in?_

_The Titans, now…_

_Please read and review!_

Chapter 5: Temper

Terra and Athena flew quickly to the site. Terra's heart felt like it was about to explode. Gar, her fiancé, down? Injured, even?

The other Titans had cornered the monster in a maze of steel I-beams and concrete flooring, only half poured. They might have to repour it, Robin thought, grimly. Right then, he had bigger worries.

He could hear Starfire strafing the creature, driving it back. Two things it couldn't seem to absorb were Starfire's starbolts and Raven's magic.

But it could absorb and make use of the properties of just about anything else. Already it had turned itself into a hodgepodge of concrete and steel, and was, at the moment, standing its ground. The steel melted and the concrete cracked under the influence of Omega's heat beams.

Terra rushed to her fiance's side. He was lying on the pavement, half curled up, on his side. He was unconscious. "It ambushed him," Raven explained. "Sledgehammer attack, from behind. Gar never even saw it coming, and caught the full brunt of it. I'm afraid he's got some broken bones. Probably quite a few."

Athena put two fingers to the side of her head, an unnecessary gesture, but one that came automatically. {{Orb? We need you!}}

{{**I am here, Athena.**}} And Beast Boy's unconscious form disappeared from sight. "Now," Athena turned to Terra, "You may wish to return to the Tower. I believe we can handle this creature."

"No way. That _thing_ hurt my Garfield. I wanna make it _pay._"

_Humans_, thought Athena, with a wry smile. _Sometimes very irrational. So much like us._

The monster had been trapped with its back—at least they guessed it was its back, from the placement of the odd mask-like thing on its "face"—up against a barrier. There was a water trough nearby. "Omega! Athena! The rest of you—herd it that way!" shouted Robin.

The monster was no match, in terms of strength, for either of the Osirans, nor for a furious Starfire. Her friend had been hurt, and she was determined to get a piece of the thing that had hurt him. Not a small piece, either.

Omega and Athena used a tactic developed by the warriors of Osira in combat with other races. They each focused their heat beams on a small spot just outside the monster's "skin," causing the air at that spot to heat up instantly and explode, like a grenade. The creature was forced back, towards the water trough…

"Devil Cat! Get ready!"

The creature suddenly decided that discretion was the better part of valor in this case, and dove into the water trough, instantly taking on the properties of its contents…

…And Kitten's freeze ray froze it into a block of ice.

"Excellent tactics, Robin," complimented Omega. "Exactly the way we handled this sort of creature back in the Empire."

Robin looked shocked. "Is this a creature from your universe? I thought you said it had, what, blown up or something?"

"It may not be a creature from our universe," Athena said, "but we encountered similar beings there." She reached up, phased her hand through the ice, and pulled the mask-like structure off the form inside. Immediately, what little liquid water was still within the thick ice casing lapsed back into its fluid state, no more than just plain water, now. "_This_ is the real monster. Or should I say, _invader._" She showed Robin and the others the inside of the "mask."

Within was a maze of high tech circuitry, with flashing LEDs and the occasional spark zipping along contoured pathways. "An advanced civilization. They found a way to download the consciousness of one or more of their individuals into these devices, sending them out across the stars on missions of exploration—and scouting for worlds suitable for conquest. Using these, or ones like them, they could animate, and take on the properties of, any non-living matter they came in contact with. We made use of these devices back in the Empire to send a signal to their homeworld."

"Really? What signal?"

"This one." And Athena crushed the mask-like mechanism into pieces with one quick movement of her hand. "That usually suffices."

Robin was a little shocked at the seemingly cold-blooded way the Osiran had, essentially, killed the alien—but then he remembered: this was an alien bent on conquest. What other response could it _expect_ but a lethal one from the target world's warriors? And that realization made him see the pair in front of him in a new light: they were no longer warriors of Osira; they were now warriors of _Earth_.

…

Back at the Tower: Terra had rushed to the Orb's room without stopping to change. There, floating in the strange substance of the Orb, was the unconscious form of Beast Boy. Her fiancé.

{{**It is good that you are here, Friend Terra. He has been asking for you.**}}

"He-he has?" Terra's heart skipped a beat. She moved up to the side of the Orb. "Gar? It's me, Terra. I'm here."

"T-Terra?"

{{**He suffered numerous bone breakage on his right side. His right arm, ribs, and right leg are both broken in several places. I can repair this, but it will take a little time.**}}

"That's…that's alright, Orb. I'm just glad you're here to help. I, I don't know what I'd do if…" She trailed off.

{{**You do not have to worry about that. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, I shall always be here for you and yours.**}} Pause. Then, {{**Would you like to hold his hand?**}}

"May I?" And she reached through the Orb's not-substance and curled her fingers around Garfield's hand…

Outside, Athena and the others waited. After many long minutes, Terra emerged, red-eyed from crying. And for once, she didn't try to hide or conceal the fact. "He—he's gonna be alright. The Orb says it's nothing it can't fix. Just gonna take a little time, is all." Relieved, the others moved off down the hall. Athena accompanied a still sniffling Terra to her room. "I was not trying to pry," she began, putting a hand on Terra's shoulder, "but I overheard some of what transpired in there. Terra," and here, at the doorway to Terra's and Garfield's room, she turned and took both the blond geomancer's hands in hers, "please take note of who he called out for, in his distress."

Terra smiled through her tears. "Yeah, 'Thena, I noticed that." Impulsively, she threw her arms around the Osiran. "Thanks, Athena."

Athena looked surprised. "For what? I did nothing."

"You did more than you realize. Thank you." And Terra turned and escaped into her room before the Osiran could ask any more questions.

Athena stood looking at the door for a long time. Omega joined her in the hallway, and she turned and walked down the hallway with him. {{I fear they are about to make a terrible, terrible mistake, Omega.}} Of course, none of the others could sense what she was communicating.

{{That may well be. But, Athena, our power is limited. We can't make people's choices for them. We may be able to save the world from Brainiac or Darkseid, but, for all our strength, we cannot save humanity from itself.}}

…..

Days passed more or less uneventfully. Beast Boy was released from the Orb in remarkable time. "I've always healed kinda rapidly," he told the others, with a shrug. "I always put it down to, y'know, a malleable molecular structure…" But he seemed doubtful, more so now than ever before. The others could understand.

In spite of the numerous supervillians that seemed to abound in their world, the actual number of cases where the Titans' unique talents were required did not seem to appear that often, at least for the next few days and weeks. Most of the aforementioned supervillians had, at one time or another, been put away (Cinderblock, they were given to understand, had been rather quiet in his cell, ever since his recuperation from the damage inflicted on him by the demonically charged Beast Boy, almost, one of the guards quipped, in passing, as though he didn't really _want_ out), and the ones still at large had not been heard from.

Breakfast at Titans' Tower: Beast Boy, Terra, Robin, Omega, Athena and Kitten were all seated at their respective places around the table. Angelique had not yet joined them; usually Angelique could tell them whether or not Missy—Ghost—was going to join them or not. It sometimes seemed to the others that Typhon had certain things for Missy to do that Angelique found hard to explain to the others.

Cyborg was a bit late coming in, having been tinkering on a project of his down in his garage/lab. "Mmm. What smells so good?" He noticed that Hank and, of all people, Raven, were at the stove. Raven had her hood down, her short-cut hair obscuring her features from the doorway, and to a degree, muffling her voice.

"Hank's been teaching me," Raven said, but it was determined later that, since she was turned away from Cyborg when she spoke, he didn't hear that part. Then she turned around, towards the group. "I made omelets. First come, first served."

"What, you mean you can cook now?" joked Cyborg.

What happened next happened too fast for the human eye to follow. Five green fingers reached out and sank into the molybdenum steel of Cyborg's armored chest plate, picked him up as though he weighed nothing, and slammed him against the wall with sufficient force to shake the entire building. Beast Boy stuck a four-eyed, anger-twisted face within inches of his friend's suddenly frightened countenance.

"Beast Boy!" shouted Robin, "Stand DOWN! NOW!" The others were too startled to move, though the Osirans had moved quickly and quietly towards either side of the pair; they made no move other than that, not wanting to escalate matters.

"H-hey, Green Bean, I—I didn't mean it, you know. I mean, you know me, always jokin' around…."

With some effort, the four-eyed creature in front of them seemed to master himself. He lowered Cyborg from his position up against the wall, and the four eyes faded back into Garfield's normal face. He looked around at the group, all of them pale and staring. Then he looked at Cyborg, and Cyborg's solid steel chest plate…

…where there were five indentations that perfectly matched the fingers on his left hand. He turned back to the group. "Uh. I, uh, guess…I did it again, huh?"

_To be continued_


	6. Chapter 6: More Worries

The Awful Truth, Part 3: chapter 6: More Worries

"I, I'm really sorry, Cy, I mean, I don't even remember…"

"Aw, shush. I understand. Nobody's blaming you, grass stain. Here, just lemme reconnect a couple of these sensors…" Some of them had come loose in the exchange upstairs.

Beast Boy was silent. Then, "I think Robin's thinking I'm a danger to the team."

"Yeah, well, Robin's full of it. Here. I did get some good telemetry this time. Oooh. Get a load of this brainwave activity. Evidently, when you transform, like you just did, your brain activity jumps a full twenty percent."

Garfield was silent for a minute or so longer. Then, "I think I'm a danger to the team, too, Cy."

Cyborg pulled up a stool and sat by his friend. "Look. You're looking at this the wrong way. Earlier, up there at breakfast, you said, and I quote, 'I did it again.' That's the exact wrong way to look at this whole thing. _You_ didn't 'do it again.' _It happened again._ _You,_ the 'you' I'm talking to, didn't _do_ anything. It's not like you_ chose_ to do anything. It just _happened._"

"But—but look at what's happening, Cy! Everybody's walking on eggshells, afraid of offending Raven, and setting me off again! It's taking a toll on Terra, it's taking a toll on Raven, and, yeah, it's taking a toll on me, too! And I think Robin's about to get gray hairs in those spikes of his or something! Look," he continued, in a quieter tone of voice, "I—I gotta do _something._"

"Well, first, we gotta figure out what that something is, don't we? And we can't know what that is until we know what's going on. Now, I know magic doesn't exactly follow scientific principles, but still. There's gotta be something going on inside you that has something to do with what's happening. And I'm thinkin' it's not something you're in complete control of. 'Cause let's face it: somebody who can morph—however you do it, whatever the mechanism is—into just about any animal form there is, has gotta have quite a bit of control over his own body. And you've always had that, ever since you were a toddler or thereabouts, right? So this is something recent. And maybe this isn't something totally physical. Maybe it's something psychological, at least partially. Sometimes things like that do come to a head pretty quickly."

"But…but what could it be?" It was difficult for Beast Boy to keep the fear out of his voice. It was one thing to face death in the streets, to go down like a hero. It was another to face death of one's _self_, from within.

No armor ever forged can save a man from himself.

"Well, evidently, your normal morphing ability is pretty much fully under control. You just think about it and it happens. It's a totally mental thing.

"But this…this seems tied to anger, or at least, some strong emotion. And, as to that, well, think: just all of a sudden, you've found out that you've got family. And not just family, not just distant cousins or something, but an actual sister. It could be you have a deep-seated fear of losing that. In fact, it'd be more worrisome if you _didn't _feel that way, I mean, considering that you lost your parents when you were little. And now, all of a sudden, you discover you've got a close relative. It's almost like finding your parents alive and well. So you get defensive when you feel she's threatened in some way. And that's…that's kinda normal. _Most _brothers are protective of their sisters. It's just the _degree_ to which you get defensive."

"But why is it only _Raven?_ That's what's got Terra in a tizzy. She thinks I'm in love with Raven! And Cy, that's illegal in every state in America!"

"Unlawful. 'Illegal's' a sick bird. Well, I don't know about that. I mean, it _is _unlawful, but that's not the point. But you _have_ always felt kinda close to Raven. Especially since Malchior. I mean, haven't you? I saw those background checks you ran on Hank, when he first showed an interest in her."

Garfield colored, his green cheeks turning a slight shade of red. "Can't keep anything from you, can I?"

"Not that, that's for sure. I am, after all, part computer myself, and part of the Tower's whole computer system. However, if it makes you feel any better…" He paused for a second, apparently reviewing some data, speaking as though absent-mindedly, "FYI, you, uh, aren't _exactly_ the _only_ one of us who's run background checks on, uhm, shall we say, relatively recently arrived members, especially those who've showed a personal interest in longer-standing members. Of course, you didn't hear that from me, understand. I never mentioned any names."

Garfield grinned. He had little trouble guessing the identity of both the person doing the searching and the person being researched. No doubt Raven had found out about those four counts of shoplifting, all of which had been dropped, due to lack of evidence, and that the defendant was a juvenile. Terra had narrowly escaped being remanded to foster care. That was all before her meeting the Titans, when she lured the monster scorpion into her trap. He shook his head. "I wonder how she lived…before." Terra had never really talked that much about it, even with him, and he hadn't pressed, sensing some things she wasn't altogether too proud of.

"What, you mean Terra? Apparently quite well. She wasn't terribly malnourished or anything like that—though she was awfully skinny-, and she had no indication of broken bones, sprains, or any sort of infections. Considering that she was, basically, living out in the wild, that's no small feat."

Beast Boy was silent for a minute. Then, "Cy, you've seen my…spells, I guess you'd call 'em. Do you think I'm in love with Raven?"

"Don't put me on the spot like that, green genes. _I_ don't know. Maybe you just love her differently. Ever considered that?"

"Well, of course I love her differently! I've always loved her as a friend, and as the sister I never had. Well, now I know she _is_ my sister, literally, and I guess….I love her more now than ever before.

"But…but as God is my witness, Cy, I don't know what I'm gonna do."

_To be continued…._


	7. Chapter 7: Heart of Ice, Heart of Fire

Tales of the Titans: The Awful Truth, Part 3

_I don't own the Teen Titans_

Chapter 7: Heart of Ice, Heart of Fire

The tall woman got off the airplane at Jump City Regional Airport with only a small, carry-on duffel bag, and hence did not need to wait for any luggage. While most visitors would have looked around for tourist brochures, newspapers, or other such, she strode to the front of the airport, where her cab was waiting.

The driver was leaning against his cab, checking his watch. The person he was waiting for was supposed to be arriving on this flight…

"You. You would be an emissary of the one I spoke with earlier, regarding transporting me to my hotel?" The man jumped slightly, then looked at the speaker. Taller than average, and wearing a simple but elegant ankle-length deep purple dress with long, pointed sleeves. The form-hugging dress split itself eight ways towards bottom, and she had a good figure without being buxom. His eyes traveled up to her face….

On the surface of it, it was a pleasing face, fine features, high cheekbones, shoulder length dark hair with white highlights down either side. Large dark eyes that inspire dreams. The sort of face and figure that normally attracted male attention in droves.

But one look at that face cured the cab driver—or anyone else in the vicinity-of any thoughts of that kind, no matter how deeply buried or professionally concealed. Not only was there an imposing air of _authority_ about her, an uncomfortably commanding presence, but there was also a certain _coldness_ about her expression, indeed her overall person, that shook him to the core of his being. She looked at him as one might look at a particularly unpleasant form of insect. "Uh, y-yes, ma'am. Jump City cabs, at your serv-*"

"Good. Then we may be away."

"Uhm. Do-do you have any luggage, ma'am?"

"No. Let us go. And we must hurry. I've much to do."

The hotel desk clerk took note of the tall woman almost from the first moment she entered the door, mostly due to the distinctive aura of _command_ she exuded. The lobby was empty, but, even if it had been crowded, he still would've noticed her. "Yes, ma'am? Can I help you?"

"Yes. I've a room reserved here, on the top floor."

He turned to his computer terminal. "Uh, what's the name, ma'am?"

"Mirissa."

"Last name?"

"That is the only one I ever use. I reserved this room a fortnight ago."

A fortnight? The clerk wasn't aware of anyone who talked like that. He was about to tell her he needed a last name when his terminal coughed up the reservation. "Ah, yes, here we go, Ms., uh, Mirissa. Room 703. One king bed, no smoking. Do you have any luggage? No? Okay. Here. If you'll just sign here…and here…yes, ma'am. And here's your room key."

The woman turned the card over in her hands. "_This_ is a _key_?" But she recovered, with an almost unnoticeable shrug. "Very well. And your 'elevators' are over there?" She pointed.

"Yes, ma'am. Uhm, hotel rules and regulations. No pets, no loud noises, breakfast in the cafeteria from six a. m. to ten, checkout time at eleven…"

"Yes, yes, I know." If anything, her expression became even _more_ severe. The clerk hadn't believed that possible. Hoisting her bag, she made for the elevators.

"Uh, will you be needing anything, Ms., Uh, Mirissa?"

"Solitude." And the elevator doors closed behind her.

But once in her room, the tall woman went to her window. It overlooked the bay area, and, in the distance, Titans' Tower gleamed, the sunset shining off its many windows. "Soon," the woman purred with an unnerving smile, "Soon. You will be mine."

…..

An ordinary day: the Titans were patrolling as usual. Contrary to his previous actions, Robin had paired Terra and Beast Boy up, as had been the norm for them prior to now. But now, he sensed they had some things they needed to work out.

Lunch: The two had flown in to the Pizza Express, ironically, the same Pizza Express where Gar had met Tara, so long ago, in what seemed like a different world. Or maybe just a long time ago. "Terra," he began, "maybe we should talk."

"About what?" she said, around a mouthful of vegetarian pizza. Terra loved her fiancé deeply, but she admitted, if only to herself, that sometimes, the vegetarian thing did get a little old. Occasionally, at night, she caught herself dreaming about a triple-decker cheeseburger, a nice, thick, greasy one, with bacon, of course. No point in a triple-decker cheeseburger without bacon.

But she was determined to do this. This was just gonna have to be the way it was gonna have to be. And, really, it wasn't so bad. "Oh. You mean…about…that."

"Not that. The _other_ that."

_Oh._ _That_ that. "Gar, there's really nothing to-*" But his hand on hers and his look silenced her. She lowered her eyes, her slice of pizza forgotten. "Okay," she admitted finally, "so maybe there is a little of '_that _that' to talk about."

He took her hand in his. "Terra…you ought to know by now, there's no reason for you to be jealous. I can't help what happens, when…whatever happens…happens. I'm not in control. I don't even remember getting angry, so it's not a 'Hulk' thing. I just black out. It—it's almost like I'm _being_ controlled by, by remote control or something. Except, of course, I'm not. I mean, I guess I'm not. And Raven's scanned me; she swears I'm not possessed or anything like that."

"I know, Gar. And I know that this isn't something you can control. I understand that. Sort of. It's just…."she paused. "I guess it's just, the irrational, girly part of me wonders why you transform when Raven's in danger, but not…not when _I'm_ in danger. I mean, not that I _want _you to, understand, it just seems like…." She gave up trying to find the right words.

He brought her hand up to his lips. "Terra. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my whole life. But you know what? I'm not altogether sure my response to Raven being in danger has to do totally with anger, as such. I think there's a hefty dose of fear in there, too."

"Fear?"

"I've been afraid _for_ Raven on more than one occasion. One was, when she released Malchior. You weren't there; it was like a bomb had gone off in her room. Then when we saw the dragon's tail disappearing up onto the roof through a _hole in the freaking ceiling_…I stayed behind, just a moment, just to make sure she hadn't been _eaten,_ Terra. And then, when Slade came for her with those fire demons…I was there when she became that portal. Terra, it was _horrible._ I mean, it was like, the spell just _tore her apart._" He stopped, blinking back tears. "And, yeah, I know: I was there when—when you did what you did. That was just as bad, but I didn't actually _see_ it. I don't think I could'a stood it if I had. As it was, just seeing you stay behind while you sent me off on that boulder of yours was bad enough, but, but I guess I could take some comfort in knowing that you'd thrown off Slade's control. That, and…what you said." He stopped again. "I, I honestly _don't know_ why I don't transform when you're in danger." He looked thoughtful all of a sudden. "Unless maybe that's the reason why. Maybe on some level, I know the only way I can fight really effectively is if I stay in control. This thing with Raven…it's a brute force approach. That may look good, really dramatic an' all, in movies, but in real life, it doesn't always work out so well. After all, as you've seen, when that happens, I can be a danger to the people around me. Even my friends."

She sniffled, and wiped her eyes. "Well...I prefer to believe that. Oh, and by the way," she said with a smile, "Mr. I-Had-Hoped-She'd-Forgotten-All-About-That, I finally figured out what that question was you didn't want me to ask you, that night way back when you told me about Raven's getting drunk and coming on to you."

He shifted uneasily. "Uh, well…"

"You didn't want me to ask you, 'what if she'd been sober?' That was it, wasn't it?"

"Can I plead the Fifth Amendment on that?"

Now _she _kissed _his _hand. "Re—_lax_, Gar. You were, what? Fifteen? And an attractive girl comes on to you. I don't think I could blame you for—at least being tempted. And, and I know, from personal experience, that kids, young kids, especially, don't always make the best decisions in the world." She sighed, looking down at her pizza, her hand still in his. "God knows _I_ sure didn't."

Now he took her other hand. "Well, we both survived the process. Now we can make better decisions. Or at least, I hope we can. As much as we know to. And mine hasn't changed: I still want you in my life, in every aspect of it. I want us to be one."

She placed her free hand over their entwined ones, smiling that radiant smile of hers. "We will be."

And, at that point, the world blew up.

….

A few hours earlier: Mirissa had found her way to a more-or-less intact room in a apartment building, one "undergoing renovation," and overlooking the Pizza Express from a couple of blocks away. Her informants assured her that her target frequently came here. She needed a certain amount of proximity to her target for what she was about to do. That, and visual contact.

There…she sensed her adversary approaching. Swiftly, and with the ease of long practice, she summoned her imps: "Go, my children. Go to the places I have told you about. Wait for my signal, then cause the chaos for which you were crafted." The bluish-white beings silently disappeared.

Garfield and Terra sat below her, at their table, having lunch. _Let them eat,_ she thought, smiling coldly down at the pair. _The condemned are entitled to a last meal._

…_.._

All of a sudden, on the other side of town, a chemical factory blew up. Robin didn't even have to hear the police report. "Athena! Starfire! Go contain that blaze!"

And on the south side: Conner Memorial was suddenly plunged into darkness as the main power lines that serviced it inexplicably went out, forcing the hospital to go to emergency power. "Haywire! Raven!" For just as Haywire's power could disrupt electrical current, so, too, it could encourage its proper flow. And, in an emergency, the very worst of the hospital's patients, those most dependent upon the life supporting machines, could be stored, temporarily, within Raven's soul-self. Being already unconscious, it shouldn't harm them psychologically.

North side: a truck transporting hazardous materials jackknifed on the bridge. "Omega! Devil Cat! Get it!"

Robin pulled his R-cycle around in a curve and came up beside Cyborg, who was patrolling with him in the T-car. "Cy, all this _can't _be coincidence. See if you can locate anything with your sensors." He turned back to his communicator. "Beast Boy! Terra! Report in!"

Nothing.

…..

Terra came to, groggily, head pounding. She and Beast Boy were suspended in mid-air by chains of ice, in the ruins of some building. It looked like several of the floors had been knocked out, in order to create a large empty space within. Below them was an unfamiliar, dark haired woman, looking up at them with a smile that could only be described as _chilling_, from within a strangely glowing and even more strangely inscribed circle. "It pleases me that you're awake. I don't have all day, and it would be a shame if, after all I've gone through to bring you here, you were to die in your sleep, so to speak. Oh, and you needn't bother trying to use your powers. They're out of order, as you say, in this country."

Garfield was still out cold. "Who-who are you?" Terra was mystified. This was no known enemy, at least none she knew of. But her accent sounded familiar…

"I'm not surprised you don't know me. We've never actually met. But when last our paths crossed, you took something from me." Her smile, cold as it was, faded completely. "Something precious. So I shall take something precious from you.

"Your life."

…..

Devil Cat rendezvoused with Robin and Cyborg. "Omega's got the truck, and there doesn't appear to be any damage to the bridge. Who's not here, Rob?"

Robin face was very grave. "Beast Boy and Terra. Can you track their communicators, Cy?"

"Trying. There's a heck of a lot of interference, though….may take me a minute or so."

"We don't _have_ a minute or so. This whole thing was orchestrated just to keep us busy while somebody has their way with Terra and BB. Where's Raven?"

"I am….here, Robin, albeit somewhat exhausted. I am not at full strength." She saw his look. "Hank had to stay back at the hospital. Whatever disrupted the power flow keeps on doing so, unless he constantly counters it"

Drastic times call for drastic measures. "Orb! Can you locate our two missing friends?"

{{**No, Friend Robin, I cannot. I am being blocked, somehow. I fear the worst.**}}

….

"But who _are_ you?" Terra played for time, to at least allow Garfield the chance to wake up.

"My name, which will mean nothing to you, is Mirissa. Conjure with it all you wish. Not that you'll have the time." (_Conjure?_ thought Terra, _as in a conjurer? A magic user?)_ Mirissa turned to Beast Boy, still unconscious. "And who might this one be? A powerful magic lies heavily about him. Yet about you, I sense none whatsoever. Perhaps he is your offspring, your child? The product of a demon and you? That would not surprise me in the least, given the state of your morals."

"My….morals? What are you talking about?" While she spoke Terra had been trying something desperate. While it was true that she could not use her earth-moving powers to directly attack the strange woman, she _could_ and _was _using them to send out small deep-ranging and almost undetectable seismic vibrations in an ever-widening bulls-eye: three shorts, three longs, three shorts. Then, three more shorts, followed by three more longs, culminating in three shorts. She repeated these over and over….

"Of course your morals. Or, rather, the lack of them." And here, her eyes lit up with a savage intensity, a distinct reddish glow. "Why, he was your half-brother, for the Crimson's sake! Yet you took him from me!" Terra's eyes widened in recognition. "You! You're the girl he-*"

And the ice chains, which had been holding her spread-eagled in mid-air, contracted just a little, causing her to scream in agony. It seemed to calm the woman down a bit; the fire in her eyes, the only thing even remotely warm about her, faded. "In fairness, I cannot blame Brion for being…_confused_; he was only a child, and a boy at that. Boys are easily confused. He is not at fault here. It is YOU! YOU, who turned his head and stole his heart! You! Who stole the love of my life away from me by the disgusting use of your…" and here she looked Terra up and down, an expression of pure hatred on her face, "…wretched body!" And the ice chains started to contract even more….

And Raven rose up through the floor, already levitating several large objects that might, one time, have been washing machines.

But Mirissa was not so easily dealt with. Power flowed from her outstretched fingers, freezing the appliances in mid-air, shattering them as their temperatures suddenly plummeted to far below sub-zero levels.

The ice sorceress stood back and raised her left arm, casting down what appeared to be a blue-white ball onto the floor. The sphere shattered soundlessly, its energy dissipating into the ground itself. "Come, my warriors! Rise and vanquish my foes!" Both Raven and Terra's eyes widened as a score or more of humanoid forms made entirely of ice rose up silently through the floor, and moved to attack.

Terra and Beast Boy were still hanging by the ice chains. "Raven! Can you free us?!" And Raven turned, a slash of her hand sending a bolt of black energy their way….

…even as she caught a glancing blow from an iron-hard ice fist, and fell to the floor.

Terra dropped lightly to the floor, her chains shattered, feeling her powers return, with her connection to the Earth overcoming whatever magic Mirissa had used to disrupt them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Beast Boy, now maybe three quarters conscious, stumble over to Raven. A purely logical move, of course; Raven was down, and he needed to assess her condition, get her to safety….

So why did her heart ache so?

"So, slut. Your powers versus mine? This should be interesting, albeit brief." And Mirissa sent a flurry of razor-sharp ice shards hurtling towards Terra's face.

Terra countered, raising an earthen barrier for the shards to bury themselves into. But that had only been a distraction; for now, Mirissa had had the time to raise a full platoon of ice warriors, all of them armed with wickedly sharp ice knives, and sent them after Terra. "Bring me her skin. I'll have it stuffed and placed in my study."

Terra had raised a barrier of rock and was preparing to send razor shards of her own when the ground shook, and she felt a blast-wave of heat coming from a point behind and to her right. She looked around.

Over and above a still-unconscious Raven stood a creature out of a nightmare. Larger than any dinosaur that ever trod the Earth, it was red from the end of its nose to the tip of its powerfully muscled tail, with overlapping scales that glittered like diamond, and claws on its forelegs that looked to be as flexible as hands. Its bulk was incredible, but, as it moved, it rippled with the speed and agility of a garden lizard. Two powerful-looking hook-tipped wings took up nearly the whole hollowed-out cavern-like space of the area inside the destroyed building.

And four red eyes glowed upon its saurian head.

A stream of fire as wide as a man is tall shot from its opened mouth, consuming the ice warriors and nearly consuming their mistress, who, if not for a hastily erected ice shield, would have been reduced to a cinder. As it was, the shield held—barely. A blow from the dragon's tail, however, served to knock both the shield and the sorceress behind it across the open space inside the building. Mirissa raised her hands, casting another spell…

…which fizzled completely out against the dragon's scaled thorax, the dragon's own supernatural power neutralizing whatever power the spell had. Again the dragonflame seared forth, to cascade against the ice shield, now thicker than before—but no more effective. The ice evaporated quickly, even as the desperate sorceress hastened to reinforce it further. A clawed foot as big as a limousine slammed down on the very spot she'd been standing upon, moments before, as Mirissa hastily dove for cover.

The red dragon then raised its left claw, made a curious gesture with both claw and wing, and rumbled something that might have been words in a voice and a language that made Terra's head hurt just to hear it. Mirissa screamed as she disappeared, diminishing in size as though falling off a cliff.

"Beast Boy! Gar!" she exulted, giving him the "thumbs up" sign. "Waytago!"

The scaly repitilian head, as large as a railroad boxcar, turned her way, and Terra knew a coldness that had nothing to do with Mirissa's magic. For there was no recognition in its eyes.

…..

The other Titans arrived. "Let me guess," said Cyborg, "that's BB, right?" The dragon looked down on them all from a height of at least six stories, there in the midst of the ruined building, steam curling out of its nostrils. Over on the other side of the large empty space, several fires burned, a legacy of the dragon's wrath, their light illuminating the scene. "Uh, guys? I think we may have a slight problem here." Raven was still out, and the dragon was standing over her protectively, looking at them suspiciously.

"Let me." Terra walked over the broken ground towards the giant creature.

"Terra! No!" Robin signaled the others to be ready. But she was already so close…

"No, Rob. I—I gotta do this." She turned her attention to the creature, whose red gaze followed her every move. So this was a dragon, she thought. Neither pictures nor movies served to convey the sheer awesome _size _of the monster in front of her. This was the monster all other monsters were but pale imitations of. "Gar, I know—no, I _believe_ you're in there, somewhere. If so, you remember me. But if not…" a single tear coursed down her cheek, and her voice broke, "…if not, it's better this way." She felt the heat from the dragon increase as it gathered its power. She moved closer…

And Raven began to come to. "G-Garfield?" She rolled to one side, putting her hand on the giant scaly foreleg closest to her. The huge head inclined towards her…then turned back to Terra. It looked at her for a long, unblinking moment…time itself seemed to stop…

And the creature began to distort, shrinking and contorting, with the red coloration being the last to go, just as it had before. Garfield lay, unconscious, on his side, on the broken ground beside Raven. She moved to examine him, even as Terra ran up, and knelt by him. "Is—is he alright?"

"I believe so. Terra, what happened? We followed your seismic 'SOS'. Who _was_ that, anyway?"

Terra looked away. "She said her name was Mirissa." More tears started down her face. "I, I never saw her before in my life."

_To be continued…._


	8. Chapter 8: Resolutions

The Awful Truth, Part 3: Chapter 8: Resolutions

_Well, here comes the end of the "The Awful Truth, Part 3" storyline. I'm really surprised that this turned out to be such a long story. At first, I hadn't intended this story, in its original form, to be anything more than a one-shot, but sometimes things get a little outta hand._

_The original ending, as I conceived it, to this story was a bit darker—actually a lot darker-than this, and I just plain didn't like it. So I fooled around with it until I got something more to my_ _liking_. _So sue me._

_I've had fun writing it, and I hope you've had fun reading it. After all, ultimately, at the end of the day, that's what it's all about, isn't it?_

Athena was passing by Garfield's and Terra's room when her attention was drawn to the sound of someone crying coming from within. She signaled for entrance and got no reply. Alarmed, she phased through the door.

Terra sat in front of the mirror, where she always sat at night, to brush her hair. She was dressed in conservative clothes, not her regular costume, but basic civilian garb: blue jeans and pullover shirt. Her hair fell to either side of her face, almost reaching to her knees. She had her hands pressed up to her face, but they could not stem the tide of tears coming from her eyes.

And Athena noticed one fact that alarmed her far more than Terra's crying: her bags were packed, and waiting by the blond geomancer.

Athena went over and sat on the bed, using her personal impulsion field to keep her full weight from crushing it, and waited. After a few minutes, Terra's tears slowed, and she drew her hands away from her face, wiping her eyes and nose. She started when she saw the Osiran girl. "Oh! Uhm, Athena, I, I didn't know you were there…"

Athena's voice was very soft. "What is bothering you, Terra?"

"It's, it's nothing." She fumbled with a kleenex. Athena said nothing, but simply looked at the packed bags, then back to Terra. "Okay. So it's not nothing.

"I can't go through with this, Athena! I, I just can't! I love him so much, but, but it's obvious he loves Raven more! I mean…" But here she started crying again, and once again pressed her hands up against her face.

Athena could relate to the gesture. Osirans can't cry—they lack the tear ducts for it—but their _faces_ can hurt as though under pressure when under the influence of strong emotions. So she waited a few moments.

After a minute or so, Terra seemed more in control of herself. "I, I'm gonna have to leave. I don't want to, to leave him at the altar, so to speak, but I just can't handle this demon business! Athena! I'm just a plain vanilla mortal, I can't handle demons! And all couples fight! What would I do if, if we had a fight and he transformed on me? Use my powers to, to _attack_ him? Athena, I couldn't _do_ that!

"So I'm gonna have to go. Just go, I don't know where.

"Besides. It's pretty obvious he loves Raven more than he loves me. Whenever I'm in danger, he just handles it. But when she even gets mildly upset about something, or when he thinks she's _about_ to, he turns into Garzilla. So he's _gotta_ love her more than me, I don't care if she _is_ his half-sister, doesn't matter. I've, I've had some experience with this sort of thing before. Sort of. So, so it's just a matter of time before he drops me anyway. I, I just hope they'll be happy together. I mean, I really do. They're both, they're both nice people, and they deserve to be happy. And, and maybe, maybe their kids will be okay, I mean, I don't know how it is with demons, it may not mat…_ter_…"And here her voice broke, and she began crying again.

Athena was silent for a while. Then, "Terra, may I tell you what I, as a third party, have observed about this situation?"

Terra sniffled. "Go ahead."

"During the course of normal events, Beast Boy conducts himself as he always has. Correct? But now, since he has learned of his relationship with Raven, whenever she is threatened in any way, he loses control. This is not a condition of his choosing; rather it is more consistent with a disease process. One that is getting worse. True, it has aided him, and others, in the past, but it is ultimately detrimental to him. You do see that, do you not?

"And while we do not get sick, I know that when Osiran warriors are injured, we need support. That is why our hands secrete a healing salve or balm. We need the support of our colleagues, our fellow warriors.

"Beast Boy—Garfield—also needs and will need support, as he learns control of this facet of his being. Specifically the support of those he loves. And definitely of the one he loves the most." Here she looked pointedly at Terra, who was looking at her, following her words. "If that support—for that matter, if _any _support-is removed—he will suffer. And I do not see how such removal would benefit you.

"And I am hearing you say you fear him. But you have had arguments, disagreements, since he learned of his condition, have you not?"

Terra thought. "Well…some. Not arguments, so much, as disagreements, I guess…"

"Has he transformed on you?"

"No…."

"Garfield has never transformed except when _someone else_—it matters not who—was in danger or threatened in some way. He has never transformed when _he personally_ was in jeopardy. He has never, to the best of my knowledge, transformed when he was angered about something regarding _himself._ Always others. Am I right?"

_Sniff._ "Y-yes…."

"But still you fear. Terra, may I submit a personal opinion on that?"

"Uhm…"

"I know that you and Garfield have lived here, together, for some time now. You have slept together, and even had sex once." Terra started, eyes widening, red spots appearing on her cheeks—"I am sorry, Terra, but it is almost impossible to keep such matters completely secret when living in such close quarters. You have known about Robin and Starfire's relationship, have you not?—but you have never _actually been married_ before. That is, I am given to understand, a change in lifestyle. It is a step forward into unknown territory to you."

"You're saying," Terra said, "that I'm having pre-wedding jitters."

"Compounded, amplified, and confused by other factors, yes." Here she got up from her seat on the bed and went and sat beside Terra. Such was Terra's distress that she didn't even notice that the Osiran woman was sitting on thin air beside her. Athena put her arm around Terra, pulled her to her. "But know you this: come what may, you are not alone in this. I may not always understand about the human condition, or about Earthly customs, but one thing I _can_ promise you with absolute certainty: As long as I live, I will be there—be _here-_for you. And I will always _listen_. I will be here for you in any way I can.

"The advice I give you is the same I would give any warrior—excuse me," she corrected herself with a smile, "any _other_ warrior: advance into unknown territory. Advance with caution, always, but advance. Draw strength from the knowledge that you are not alone. Do not retreat. Nothing is gained by retreat."

Terra fumbled with a kleenex. "But…but that still doesn't change the fact that he loves Raven more than me."

"You _feel_ he loves Raven more than you. But remember what I told you about feelings obscuring and confusing our perceptions of reality? Terra, Garfield has a _condition._ It is not one he chose. It is, as I said, really more like a sickness. Would you leave him because he got sick?"

"Of course not! I, I would never just _abandon_ him like that!"

"Then I have only one more question to ask you." Terra waited, looking up at Athena's face. Athena was smiling a crooked smile. "Would you like me to help you unpack, or can you manage that on your own?"

….

Omega found Beast Boy on the ground floor entrance, sitting in one of the chairs in the lobby, by a small table. The Osiran said not a word, but simply sat down by him in silence. Garfield was clearly distressed.

The silence stretched. Then, Garfield spoke up, in a voice of one who'd choked on too many tears, and who no longer cared if anyone knew or not. "She's afraid of me, Omega." Omega said nothing. "I see it in her eyes, every time we're…together. She's afraid of me. And I…I can't take that."

"So what will you do?"

Beast Boy pressed his hands against his face. "I, I'll have to go. I don't want to—I love her more than anybody I've ever loved in my life—but I can't take that _look_ in her eyes, Omega. I'd sooner die than hurt her, but..." He trailed off. Then he turned to the Osiran. "What if it's true, Omega? What if I do love Raven more than Terra? I mean…oh, I don't know my own self anymore. These, these spells I've been having…"

"Do you think you love Raven more than Terra?"

"No. I, I don't _think_ so."

"There is a human proverb: 'As a man believes in his heart, so is he.' If you do not believe you love Raven more than Terra, you do not."

"But—"

"You have a bond with Raven, yes. It is, quite possibly, a bond you inherited, at least partially, by means of having a common ancestor. But you also have a bond with Terra. Both those bonds are different; neither one is less or more than the other. Simply _different_. Now, tell me something: for as long as you've known her, Raven has been a victim, has she not?"

"A victim?"

"First of her own power, then of Adonis's beast, then Malchior, then her father. Is this not true? In spite of her power, she has been a victim ever since you've known her. Correct?"

"Well, I, I guess, if you put it like that…"

"And do you not get your angriest when people are victimized? I remember you went against orders to go rescue Tara, who was certainly a victim, of who, we are not completely sure to this day. Is this not so?"

"Uh, well, yeah…"

"Garfield? May I share something with you?"

"I…I guess so."

Omega was silent for a moment. Then, "There was a belief, commonly held throughout the Empire, that Osiran warriors were fearless, unstoppable engines of destruction. As far as the 'fearless' part went, well, that was certainly untrue of me. Every time I went into battle, I was afraid. Would this be my last battle? Would oblivion claim me this day? And perhaps the biggest fear: would I fail in my mission, somehow? I was afraid, Garfield. Every time.

"I am still afraid. I will always be afraid. Not necessarily for my life, as for my actions. Will I perform satisfactorily? Will someone around me die, through means I could have prevented?

"What if I…mess up?

"But, especially here in this world of emotions, I came to know something. _Courage_ is what takes us _through_ fear. Fear is still there, and will always be there, but we can overcome it with courage. Indeed, we _must._

"And something more: you cannot have courage without also having fear, because courage is what you use to _overcome_ fear. You can have fear without courage, but you cannot have courage without fear.

"It is the same with hope. You cannot have hope without doubt. You can have doubt without hope, but you cannot have hope without _some_ doubt.

"Courage and hope will see you through this fear and doubt. And _your_ courage can help her overcome _her_ fear. If you but _believe _you can overcome this, she will believe it, also. You will inspire her to have _hope._ Do you not see this?

"And make no mistake: ultimately, we are talking about _your_ fears, _your_ doubts. You fear that you might transform into your demon form and harm her, you doubt your own love for her."

"I..just don't know…"

"Let me ask you something: suppose, just suppose, I had given into those fears, that I had retreated from a battle because I was afraid, for whatever reason, of whatever, it doesn't matter. Would I then be the sort of person you'd want to know?

"And is this not also true of you? If you give into your fears, your doubts, what will you think of yourself?" Garfield was silent, clearly thinking. "If you give in to your fears now, if you leave now, if you _run-_where and when will you stop? _Will _ you stop?"

Omega shifted in his seat. "Now. Let us try a 'thought experiment.' Close your eyes and clear your mind, as best you can. Picture this: Suppose, just suppose, that Slade somehow came back from the dead, kidnapped Terra, somehow neutralized her powers, tied her up, and was preparing to rape her, many times, the way Athena was raped. Picture that image in your mind. How does that make you feel?"

Beast Boy's face grew tomato red. "Why—why, that, that-*"

Omega reached over and grasped his hand. "Calm down, Beast Boy," he spoke soothingly, "It is only a thought. It did not happen, nor will it, not as long as either of us live. Be calm. Be at peace. It was only an image in your mind, nothing more. Let it fade."

Beast Boy was silent for a moment, obviously calming himself down. Then, "So what was the point of all that?"

"For a brief moment there, just before I took your hand, you had four eyes."

Garfield was shocked. "I…I did?"

"Yes." Wryly. "I counted. Twenty-three times."

"So." Garfield mused. "So…it's not just Raven. It—it's anybody I love. It's Terra, too! This is great news, Omega! Well, I mean, you know, I still got this problem, but, but, it's not just Raven! I, I gotta go tell Terra!" He got up and made for the elevator at a dead run.

Behind him, Omega spoke up. "Remember, Garfield: courage. Courage and hope. Your courage, your hope can overcome her fears and doubts, as well as your own." Then the elevator doors closed on Beast Boy.

Athena came out of the doorway where she'd been watching, unobserved by Beast Boy. Came and sat down in the chair he'd just vacated. She Linked to Omega: {{I didn't know you could lie like that.}} For Garfield had not manifested an extra set of eyes.

{{Neither did I, until I actually did it. I don't like to lie, Athena. It's not in our nature. But as the humans say, necessity is the mother of invention.

{{And sometimes…}} and here he looked off towards the elevator, {{…sometimes some lies may be as necessary, if not more so, as the unvarnished truth.}}

{{Well. Shall we go review the data you've collected on the Sterilized systems?}}

{{Yes.}} On the way down the stairs, he paused, and again looked off, upwards, this time, in the general direction of Gar and Terra's room. {{Perhaps I misspoke, earlier, Athena. Perhaps we _can_ save humanity from itself. One soul at a time.}} He turned to her, there in the stairwell, and grinned. {{After all, we're only human.}}

Laughing, they both linked arms and proceeded down to his laboratory.

The End


End file.
